A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a method for receiving initial filter criteria from a home subscriber server, transmitting information obtained from the initial filter criteria to a domain name system, receiving a multicast IP address from the domain name system, and transmitting a message to a plurality of IP multimedia subsystem network elements according to the multicast IP address. The message can be used for configuring the plurality of IP multimedia subsystem network elements. Other embodiments are disclosed.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. A non-transitory, machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising: generating, from a communication device, a registration request; submitting the request to a call session function and receiving an indication that the communication device is authenticated, wherein a subscriber profile for the communication device is retrieved responsive to the registration request; obtaining a uniform resource identifier from the subscriber profile; providing the uniform resource identifier to a domain name system; obtaining a multicast internet protocol address from the domain name system based on an association between the uniform resource identifier and a multicast group to which a plurality of application servers have been assigned, wherein the multicast protocol corresponds to an internet group management protocol; providing a registration message to a plurality of internet protocol multimedia subsystem network elements according to the multicast internet protocol address; determining, from the subscriber profile, an expected number of acknowledgement responses to be received from the plurality of internet protocol multimedia subsystem network elements; transmitting a registration confirmation message to the communication device responsive to a determination that the expected number of acknowledgment responses was received; receiving a request to deregister the communication device; transmitting a deregistration message to the plurality of internet protocol multimedia subsystem network elements according to the multicast internet protocol address; and transmitting a unicast deregistration message to one of the plurality of internet protocol multimedia subsystem network elements failing to submit a response associated with the deregistration message, wherein the plurality of internet protocol multimedia subsystem network elements comprise a plurality of application servers.
A computer-readable storage medium contains instructions for managing device registration and deregistration in an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network. When executed, the instructions cause the system to: receive a registration request from a device; retrieve the device's subscriber profile; obtain a URI from the profile and use it to query a DNS server for a multicast IP address associated with a group of application servers; send a registration message to the application servers via the multicast address (using Internet Group Management Protocol); determine the expected number of acknowledgement responses based on the profile; send a confirmation to the device if all responses are received; and upon deregistration, send a deregistration message via multicast, and a unicast message to any application server that doesn't respond.
2. The non-transitory, machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the subscriber profile is received from a home subscriber server.
The computer-readable storage medium for managing device registration and deregistration in an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network, as described in the previous claim, further specifies that the subscriber profile containing device information is received from a Home Subscriber Server (HSS). This means that the device's configuration data, including its assigned services and authentication details, is managed centrally by the HSS and retrieved during the registration process to configure the application servers using the multicast IP address.
3. The non-transitory, machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the generating the registration request is responsive to receiving a session initiation protocol registration message initiated by a communication device.
The computer-readable storage medium for managing device registration and deregistration in an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network, as described in the first claim, specifies that the registration request generation is triggered by receiving a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) registration message from a communication device. Therefore, when a device initiates a SIP registration, the system then interacts with the DNS server and HSS server and sends registration messages to application servers using a multicast IP address retrieved from the DNS server.
4. The non-transitory, machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise transmitting a deregistration message to the plurality of internet protocol multimedia subsystem network elements according to the multicast internet protocol address.
The computer-readable storage medium for managing device registration and deregistration in an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network, as described in the first claim, includes the operation of transmitting a deregistration message to multiple application servers via a multicast IP address. This means that when a user deregisters a device, instead of sending a separate deregistration message to each application server, the system uses a multicast address to efficiently notify all the involved application servers simultaneously.
5. The non-transitory, machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise routing a session initiation protocol invite message to an internet protocol multimedia subsystem network element as a unicast message.
The computer-readable storage medium for managing device registration and deregistration in an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network, as described in the first claim, also includes routing a SIP invite message to an IMS network element (e.g., an application server) as a unicast message. This means that while registration/deregistration happens using multicast, actual call setup (invites) are sent directly to a specific server using a one-to-one communication channel.
6. The non-transitory, machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the registration message corresponds to a third party registration message directed to a multicast group comprising a plurality of application servers.
The computer-readable storage medium for managing device registration and deregistration in an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network, as described in the first claim, utilizes a third-party registration message directed to a multicast group of application servers. This implies that the registration is not directly initiated by the end-user device. Instead, another network element (the third party) registers the device with the application servers using the multicast group address.
7. The non-transitory, machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the subscriber profile includes a plurality of initial filter criteria.
The computer-readable storage medium for managing device registration and deregistration in an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network, as described in the first claim, uses a subscriber profile which contains a set of initial filter criteria (iFC). The iFC determines which application servers should be invoked for a particular service or session. These criteria are evaluated when processing SIP requests to ensure the correct services are applied to the communication.
8. The non-transitory, machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the subscriber profile includes a qualified domain name associated with the multicast group.
The computer-readable storage medium for managing device registration and deregistration in an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network, as described in the first claim, utilizes a subscriber profile which includes a qualified domain name (FQDN) associated with the multicast group. This domain name is then used to resolve the multicast IP address of the application servers via a DNS query. The system uses the FQDN to efficiently discover the application servers.
9. The non-transitory, machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of internet protocol multimedia subsystem network elements further comprise a proxy call session control function device.
The computer-readable storage medium for managing device registration and deregistration in an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network, as described in the first claim, describes network elements that include proxy call session control function (P-CSCF) devices. This expands the scope of manageable devices beyond application servers to also include P-CSCFs, which play a key role in routing and controlling SIP sessions within the IMS network.
10. A method, comprising: transmitting, by a processing system including a processor, a message to a plurality of internet protocol multimedia subsystem network elements according to a multicast internet protocol address, wherein the message enables configuration of the plurality of internet protocol multimedia subsystem network elements; receiving, by the processing system, a registration request from a communication device; transmitting, by the processing system, a request for subscriber profile responsive to receiving the registration request, wherein the subscriber profile includes a qualified domain name associated with the plurality of internet protocol multimedia subsystem network elements; transmitting, by the processing system, a uniform resource identifier to a domain name system; receiving, by the processing system, the multicast internet protocol address from the domain name system based at least on an association between a fully qualified domain name of the uniform resource identifier and the plurality of internet protocol multimedia subsystem network elements; determining, by the processing system from the subscriber profile, an expected number of responses from the plurality of internet protocol multimedia subsystem network elements; transmitting, by the processing system, to the communication device, a registration confirmation message responsive to a determination that the expected number of responses were received from the plurality of internet protocol multimedia subsystem network elements; transmitting, by the processing system, a deregistration message to the plurality of internet protocol multimedia subsystem network elements according to the multicast internet protocol address upon receiving a deregistration request and a trigger in the subscriber profile; and transmitting, by the processing system, a unicast deregistration message to one of the plurality of internet protocol multimedia subsystem network elements failing to submit a response associated with the deregistration message, wherein the plurality of internet protocol multimedia subsystem network elements comprise a plurality of application servers, wherein the multicast protocol corresponds to an internet group management protocol.
A method for configuring IMS network elements includes transmitting a message to multiple IMS network elements (application servers) using a multicast IP address. This allows for simultaneous configuration of multiple servers. Upon receiving a registration request from a device, a subscriber profile is requested, and this profile contains a qualified domain name associated with the application servers. A URI is sent to a DNS server, which returns the multicast IP address based on the association between the URI's fully qualified domain name and the application servers. The system determines the expected number of responses based on the subscriber profile. After receiving expected responses, the device receives a confirmation. Deregistration is similar, using multicast, and a unicast message is sent if a response is missing.
11. The method of claim 10 , comprising receiving the multicast internet protocol address from a domain name system.
The method for configuring IMS network elements, as described previously, involves receiving the multicast IP address from a Domain Name System (DNS) server. The DNS server maps a service name or uniform resource identifier (URI) to the multicast IP address, enabling the system to discover the appropriate address for communicating with the group of application servers.
12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the subscriber profile includes a plurality of initial filter criteria.
The method for configuring IMS network elements, as described previously, uses a subscriber profile containing a plurality of initial filter criteria (iFC). The iFC are used to determine which application servers are relevant for a particular session or service. The criteria allow the system to selectively activate and configure the appropriate application servers based on the device's subscription and the requested service.
13. A device, comprising: a processing system including a processor; and a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, comprising: transmitting a message to a plurality of internet protocol multimedia subsystem network elements according to a multicast internet protocol address; receiving a registration request from a communication device; transmitting a request for subscriber profile responsive to receiving the registration request, wherein the subscriber profile includes a qualified domain name associated with the plurality of internet protocol multimedia subsystem network elements; receiving the multicast internet protocol address from a domain name server based the qualified domain name and the plurality of internet protocol multimedia subsystem network elements; determining, from the subscriber profile, an expected number of responses from the plurality of internet protocol multimedia subsystem network elements; transmitting a registration confirmation message responsive to a determination that the expected number of responses were received from the plurality of internet protocol multimedia subsystem network elements; transmitting a unicast deregistration message to one of the plurality of internet protocol multimedia subsystem network elements failing to submit a response associated with a multicast deregistration message; and transmitting a unicast deregistration message to one of the plurality of internet protocol multimedia subsystem network elements failing to submit a response associated with the deregistration message, wherein the plurality of internet protocol multimedia subsystem network elements comprise a plurality of application servers, wherein the multicast protocol corresponds to an internet group management protocol.
A device for configuring IMS network elements has a processor and memory, and is programmed to send a message to multiple application servers via a multicast IP address. The device receives registration requests, requests subscriber profiles based on the device registration, and the subscriber profiles contain a qualified domain name associated with the application servers. The multicast IP address is obtained from a DNS server using the qualified domain name, then the system determines the expected response count based on the profile data. Once the number of expected responses have been received, the device then sends a confirmation message to the device that initiated registration. During deregistration, if a server fails to send a response to the multicast message, a unicast deregistration message is sent.
14. The device of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of internet protocol multimedia subsystem network elements comprise a plurality of application servers.
The device for configuring IMS network elements, as described previously, specifies that the multiple IMS network elements are application servers. Thus, the device focuses specifically on managing and configuring the application servers within the IMS network using multicast communication, ensuring efficient deployment and updates of service logic.
15. The device of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of internet protocol multimedia subsystem network elements further comprise a proxy call session control function device.
The device for configuring IMS network elements, as described previously, also manages proxy call session control function (P-CSCF) devices. This expands the scope of manageable devices beyond application servers to also include P-CSCFs, which play a key role in routing and controlling SIP sessions within the IMS network. This allows for a broader, more complete configuration of the IMS network.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
April 12, 2016
May 23, 2017
Browse 5M+ US patents with plain-English claim translations and AI-generated analysis.